Mariah Carey is sharing her candid thoughts on her fellow powerhouse vocalist Whitney Houston.
After years of being compared to one another, Carey opened up about the actual relationship she had with Houston while making an appearance on the Tuesday, Oct. 1 episode of Watch What Happens Livewith Andy Cohen.
During the interview, Cohen asked Carey if she considered Houston to be her “biggest competition” in the industry back then, noting that they both “belted” their songs and each had several hits around the same time.
But Carey insisted that the public’s narrative of rivalry between the two women was not based in reality.
“Well, it was the people that put us to hate each other,” Carey, 56, explained, adding that it was the public that “kind of pitted us against each other.”
As for her true experience with the “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” singer, Carey said she and Houston “had fun” together once they finally met. She even brought up her collaboration with Houston on the 1998 duet “When You Believe” as part of the soundtrack for The Prince of Egypt movie.
The two vocal legends performed the emotional ballad on the Oprah show that year for their first TV performance together, and they later took the stage again to perform together at the 71st Academy Awards in March 1999.
Singers Mariah Carey (L) and Whitney Houston perform “When You Believe” during the 71st Academy Awards 21 March 1999 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
“She was hilarious,” Carey remembered, adding that she followed Houston’s lead and “just went with it.”
Houston died in February 2012 when she accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton. She was 48.
Related: New Whitney Houston Release Leaves Fans in ‘Happy Tears:’ ‘Pure Perfection’
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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